Discussion Questions
The following questions were graciously offered to LitLovers by Angela Scott, Program Coordinator, Ligonier Library. Thanks, Angela.
1. Did the book create a new set of expectations for you in what a Civil War nurse truly was? Many might previously have the image of an older woman that comes from middle to upper class families and wish to work towards philanthropy, but in reality, they came from a diverse background. How did your expectations of these women change as you read through the book?
2. What did you think of Dorothea Dix and her attempt to create an army of nurses? Was she successful? Did you feel her own preconceived notions limited the nursing field? What did you think of the men that attempted to control her and limit her power?
3. Did you have a concept of how overwhelming the wounded would have been to doctors and nurses who had little training and no real organization to fall back on, especially at the start of the war?
4. Most men were extremely hostile to the nurses when they first working with military. How did this change by the end of the war and how did the women earn their respect?
5. The women felt their duty towards the soldiers was more than just tending wounds. How did they see their roles in relation to their patients?
6. Do you feel that the nurses finally got the recognition that they deserved? By the end of the war? Years later?
7. How did the war change the way women seen themselves? Like during many wars, women were forced to step into the roles of what had primarily been male. Did this give them more power and how did that change them later after the war ended?
8. Was there a story that stuck out for you as a reader or you identified with?
(Questions courtesy of Angela Scott, Ligoniere Library. Please feel free to use online or off, with attribution to both Angela and LitLovers. Thanks..)
Heroines of Mercy Street (Toler) - Discussion Questions
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